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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kurtomatic" data-source="post: 6092485" data-attributes="member: 85486">The declining firearm rarity description is simply flavor to support the mechanical and economic choices made. I thought it was interesting that the Paizo-provided rarity descriptions only went in one direction. I don't think emerging guns equals declining guns, just with different color text. Part of the OP's issue was making advanced firearms (which has a very specific meaning in PF) available at reasonable prices, without overshadowing everything else; I was simply trying to offer a different spin on rarity. Perhaps stagnation would be a better description: the trends driving firearms development progress only so far, but then stop. The social and economic drivers change, and leave firearms in a semi-advanced state that fails to completely take over military doctrine.Personally, I don't have much trouble suspending disbelief on concurrent fantasy firearms as long the rates of fire are kept under control. It's when you get to repeaters like revolvers or lever-action rifles you really have start serious stretching for fantasy firearms. In my opinion.The OP is also trying to meet the needs of his players. All the academic arguments aside, I like a very practical approach to justifying minority firearms in the game fiction, because at the end of the day what really counts is what happens at the table. I think most players fall into three functional categories when looking at guns in D&D: purists, skeptics, and fans (these buckets are grossly exaggerated for effect): The purists simply don't like guns in D&D. For them guns are a deal-breaker. I can't argue with that; more power to 'em. I think guns in your fantasy game is such an edge-case, that requiring unanimity at the table is very reasonable. There's no need to try to convince folks with some crazy game fiction, just don't even go there. The skeptics are okay with guns in D&D, as long as their needs with the traditional fantasy weapon tropes are being met. They're not going to directly engage with firearms, but if they feel like they're being pushed in that direction (because firearms are just too good, or whatever), then they'll be unhappy. I believe Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) was created just to solve this problem. Firearms require a feat tax and/or an oddball, lightly supported class? Great, live and let live. Now the fans are obviously on board from the get-go. They're ready to pack some heat. Ironically, these are the players you need to placate with some game fiction. You've just bought-off the skeptics with a feat tax, and now you have to explain to the fans why they're paying that tax, and how their guns are still cool and effective without being common or dominant. Fortunately, these players are already invested in the idea, so you just need to show them some socio-economic jazz-hands in the setting fiction to seal the deal. It doesn't have to be PhD thesis-quality, you're usually preaching to the choir here.In the case of the Empire of Tarsis (Ptolus), there's no actually unlearning involved. But since the empire was the main driver for firearms technology and manufacture, and because they've long-since stopped innovating with guns and have surplus stock, the availability and sophistication of new advanced firearms has begun to decline in general (there are exceptions to this). So in my interpretation of this setting, a man on the street can pretty easily buy a Saturday Night Special for about 125 gp, and end up with a muzzle-loading <a href="http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/firearms#TOC-Early-Firearms" target="_blank">dragon gun</a> that misfires on a 1-4, can be loaded manually with powder and shot for 2 gp, or he can pay an alchemist 6 gp for a paper cartridge. This gun was hand-manufactured by a local gunsmith (working for the mob). If he gets caught by the authorities carrying the gun with no permit, he's looking at a 500 gp fine and a few nights in clink.The same man could instead pay 10 gp for his firearms permit (after clearing a procedural background check) and locate a licensed firearms re-seller with a bit of work. There he can (perhaps) buy an authentic surplus imperial rifle for around 1,200 gp, ending up with a single-shot, break-action breach-loading rifle that misfires on a 1 and accepts all imperial-standard brass rifle cartridges. With his permit, he can also buy a case of ammo for 500 gp, containing 100 rounds of imperial-stamped rifle cartridges (approximately .44 caliber). This gear was manufactured in an imperial armory on tooling originally created by a dwarven master craftsman 300 years ago.Or, y'know, he could just buy a longbow in the local market for 75 gp and be done with it. <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devil.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":devil:" title="Devil    :devil:" data-shortname=":devil:" /></blockquote>

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